From Forever to Infinity
by Yanagi-San
Summary: After the defeat of Ultimecia, Edea begins to have strange feelings about her powers, and believes Ultimecia may have split her power in two, and passed one half to Edea, and the other to a sorceress who never knew she was one. (Chapter 4 is up! ^_^)
1. The End Begins Again


    ::Disclaimer and other things people will probably ignore::
    FF8 and it's characters are copyright by Squaresoft. The plot, however, is mine.
    Touch it,
    and eat horrible GF death. I'm serious!
    ...And finally, this is Rated PG-13-ish for light swearing and suggestive
    themes. Don't
    kill me. Questions? Comments? Flames? Send them to Megami_Yanagi@hotmail.com
    with the subject "FF8 fic" or something similar, or my junk mail folder will eat
    it and say
    "yummy" when it is done. arigatou, and enjoy! ^_^
    From Forever to Infinity
    Chapter 1: "The End begins Again"
    ************************************
    Staggering...staggering...She felt as if she would never find it, that
    place it
    seemed that man enjoyed being, the grassy meadow hillside with the infinite
    fields of flowers.
    Even though if anyone saw her, she would be floating across the ground, to
    the
    dying sorceress, it felt like she was crawling, dragging herself across those
    flower drenched fields.
    Those people...how did they manage to acomplish this?
    She mused to herself as she continued her long final journey through the
    petal-ridden land. Where was it? He had visited recently, while his child and
    she had had their confrontation. Ultimecia could still see the bright blue light
    that had undone her, clouding all her vision. What had it done to her body? It
    had annihlated it, that's what. But, she had already started that process when
    she junctioned herself to Griever. They had finished it off. That man's child,
    for the most part, with that hellishly bright Lionheart of his.
    Ah, but this might be the only way, her thoughts echoed about in the
    disgustingly cerulean sky, uncontained by a physical body or mind. She lurched
    forward, on and on, following that man's spiritual energy, looking for where the
    charge was the strongest. Then, she would find it. It was only a matter of time.
    It was too bad that she had used up a great deal of her energies in
    separating
    her powers into two pieces. The weaker half, which was not all that shabby
    compared to sorceresses such as Adel, she presented to Edea in the orphanage
    while that man's son looked on, floating randomly throughout time. The rest, the
    stronger half, she was using part of now. She needed to find that woman! She was
    here...somewhere in these aromatic fields lay a potential that was never tapped
    while she lived. She was a quiet candidate, while Adel was still alive, in
    space. Frozen next to the moon, that rock where monsterous minions awaited her
    return so that they could wreak havoc on Esthar. If only she had recgonized it
    in the first place, instead of focusing on her offspring, she might still be
    breathing right now.
    Ultimecia shuffled over the top of a grassy hill, and a glint of metal
    caught
    the corner of her dying eyes. There it was. The energy wasn't as strong as she
    had expected. He either hadn't been here as long as she had thought, or it had
    taken her forever to reach this place. But no matter- she was almost out of
    time. Ultimecia stood in front of the lonely headstone, and began the ritual.
    ************************************
    Squall boarded the elevator in a very foul mood. Cid had paged him to his
    office once again, and it was probably going to be the same discussion as
    before. How was he supposed to know what to do with it? It was Cid's after all.
    It seemed all decisions regarding Garden were being passed off to him in a
    rather impromptu fashion. Everything regarding anything was left up to him; From
    what should the cafeteria serve for lunch this week to what kind of toilet paper
    should be used in the bathrooms! Well, Squall admitted rather dryly to himself,
    at least it wasn't as bad as toilet paper decisions yet. He then thought that
    that was something Rinoa would say, and he found himself with a rather odd
    expression on his face when he arrived at the control platform that used to be
    Cid's office. It was an odd cross between a smirk and a sneer, but more of a
    smile than Squall was ever used to wearing. It made his face hurt.
    Cid gave him a questioning look as he stepped off the elevator, but didn't
    say
    a word.
    "You paged?" Squall asked, standing with one arm akimbo.
    "Yes," Cid began, "It may not be of any signifigance, but I've been
    speaking
    with Edea."
    Squall looked out the window. Indeed, they were docked. They had probably
    arrived mid morning, while he was taking out a little restless energy with Rinoa
    and Selphie in the Training Grounds, and had missed the announcement.
    "And no, I didn't have it paged this time. I didn't want everyone to know
    we
    were here. We should have been gone by this afternoon, but then after I dropped
    in to see Edea, and she told me the news. I've been paging you periodically, but
    you haven't responded until now. Where were you?" Cid asked.
    "Training Center with Rinoa and Selphie." Squall explained, "The intercom
    is
    broken in the T-Rexaur sector, remember?"
    "Ah, yes. I should send someone to fix that..." Cid murmured. "But
    first..."
    The middle aged man wandered over to the windshield next to Nida and folded his
    arms behind his back, just like he always did when something serious was going
    on. " First, you should speak with Edea. "
    "I'll take Rinoa and Selphie and we'll report immediately." Squall said,
    and
    spun to leave.
    "Wait!" Cid called after him, "Edea requests that no weapons be brought to
    the
    orphanage. She has some orphaned childern there, and she wishes them to not have
    to be exposed to them."
    "I'm not going down there defenseless, Cid." Squall replied, and kept
    walking.
    "You're going to ignore her wishes?" Cid asked the black-clad retreating
    form.
    "She can meet us on the Ragnarok." Was all Squall said as the elevator
    dropped
    through the floor.
    The red dragonish ship landed with a distinctive shutting down of the
    thrusters, and a loud clunk in front of Edea's house. The waves washed upon the
    shore, and a slight hum could be heard from Garden's Float-Generator. But it was
    very distant. So distant, that they couldn't see Garden anymore. Cid must have
    pulled it back. Just as well.
    A familiar black clad figure was moving toward the ship now, in a rather
    refined and eloquent manner.
    "Look, it's Matron!" Selphie pointed and bounced up and down.
    "Well, don't just stand there, lower the hatch for her." Squall told her.
    "Oh! Right away, Mr.Commander!" She said sarcastically to Squall, and
    lowered
    the hatch.
    "You're in an unusually bad mood." Rinoa commented as Squall walked
    by.
    "The only time I've seen him happy this week was when he was Lionhearting
    everything in sight back in the Training Center today!" Selphie exclaimed.
    "You'd think he'd be happy now that the weight of the world is off his
    shoulders."
    "You'd think so, but that's not Squall." Rinoa said, and beamed one of her
    disarmingly playful smiles at the pale man in black. His expression lightened
    for just a fraction of a second, but both Rinoa and Selphie saw it anyway. It
    put them just a little at ease.
    Squall untensed and swung the Lionheart off his shoulder, letting the tip
    of
    the blade touch the floor of the Ragnarok.
    "Alright, I was going to do this the other way, but, I'll go get Matron,
    and
    you two wait in the conference room. We'll meet you there, ok?" And with that,
    suddenly, Rinoa jumped up and threw her arms around him.
    "You actually ASKED us to do something! You're not ordering us around,
    it's a
    miracle!" She said cheerfully.
    Squall hesitated for a long moment, the put one hand on her shoulder,
    letting
    it linger as long as he dared. What had he felt before Rinoa entered his life?
    He wondered in that brief second before he stepped gently away from her.
    Nothing. He hadn't wanted to feel anything before she came along. It was scary
    how so much changes in so little time.
    "I'm going now." Was all Squall said as he exited the cockpit.
    Edea looked darkly lovely as usual. Time really didn't seem to have any
    effect
    on her, and between the time she had been the sorceress to now, with the
    orphanage reopened, she seemed to look younger, if it was at all possible.
    "Matron..." Squall greeted her with his usual lack of aplomb.
    "My dear Squall," Edea looked up at him as she spoke, "How is everything
    at
    Garden? How are Quisty, Irvine, and Zell? And what about Selphie, and that
    pretty girl of yours, Rinoa?"
    "Rinoa and Selphie are on board, waiting for us. Quistis got her teaching
    credentials reinstated a few days ago- her fan club is estatic. Irvine decided
    to stay at Balamb Garden and train under Quistis while Zell spends his time
    stuffing his face with hot dogs or getting into trouble. So everything is more
    or less is back to normal." He replied, not looking at Edea, but instead at the
    serene landscape. From the moss covered stone cottage in the distance came the
    sound of children laughing. At first, Squall was startled, because he thought he
    was imagining it. But then he remembered Cid mentioning something about
    reopening the orphanage.
    "So, Matron, you've replaced us after all this time?" He asked, not
    realizing
    his words could be taken another way.
    Edea smiled and reached up to touch Squall's scar on his face. "No one
    could
    ever replace all of you." She murmured, "Especially not you, Squall. Especially
    not you." She traced the scar, and stood back.
    "This is why I'm worried. I've wanted nothing but good lives for all of
    you,
    and the minute you all gain some semblance of normalicy, the world begins to
    fall apart again." Squall just stared at her for a moment, with his most serious
    look.
    "......before you get into it, let's continue inside, Matron." He said.
    "Four beats the two on the left, and the elemental value makes for "same"
    with
    your top one!" Selphie declared, and turned a Geezard and a Fastiofalchion-F
    card to her color.
    "I didn't see that one open!" Rinoa looked confusedly at the table where 7
    cards were laid out in a 3 by 3 grid style. She looked at her hand, and then at
    the table and put down a Ruby Dragon card.
    "Plus!" Rinoa smiled and slammed her hand on the table, "I got one!"
    "See? Now you're learning it!" Selphie giggled leaned back in one of the
    Conference Room chairs. Just then, the automatic doors opened, and Squall
    entered with Edea beside him. Squall took one look at the obvious Triple Triad
    game and sighed disgustedly.
    "You're playing cards, at a time like this?" He gritted, swinging the
    Lionheart
    back onto his shoulder.
    "Leave them be, Squall. They were only passing time, waiting for our
    return."
    Edea said softly.
    "Matron!" Selphie squealed and threw herself at Edea for a hug, "Matron,
    you're
    here!"
    "Dear Selphie, "Edea smiled and stroked her hair. "You have not changed
    either."
    "Hello, Edea." Rinoa said with a nervous smile, "Welcome aboard!"
    "Thank you Rinoa dear, but I'm afraid once I leave, you'll wish you never
    came." She said solemnly, and took a seat in one of the high-backed chairs.
    "Oh, come on Matron, don't be so gloomy; We saved the world, remember? We
    can
    do it again if we have to!" Selphie jumped up, and swung her nunchuku in a
    circle around her head.
    "Don't do that in here, Selphie." Squall glared at her.
    "Edea, please tell us your news." Rinoa prompted, "It seems important."
    "It is." She turned to Squall. "Remember after you defeated Ultimecia, and
    became lost in the time, you ended up back at the orphanage, and saw her pass
    her powers onto me? Back when you were eight?" Edea began, "I felt the power go
    into me, and become one with me, just as it should. However, just recently, the
    power has felt incomplete, like it's reaching for something other than itself
    out there. I feel...half empty. What if...what if she wasn't able to pass all
    her powers onto me, and is still floating in the spirit world, looking for a
    recipient for her last bit of magic to live in? As a sorceress myself,a nd as
    Rinoa is now a sorceress too, she should understand that having power floating
    about unchecked is a very bad thing."
    Rinoa nodded in taciturn agreement.
    "If Ultimecia passed on her power and evil intent to some other sorceress
    candidate," She continued, "Then we could have a repeat of what has just occured
    little more than a month ago."
    "I thought there could be only one sorceress every generation." Selphie
    ticked
    off the names from memory. "Lessee, there was Adel, then Edea, then Rinoa, and
    Ultimecia will come after her. That's all. There are no more candidates."
    "Well," Edea explained, "A generation was skipped because of the
    imprisonment
    of Adel. Even if the sorceress is still alive, the candidate will be born. No
    matter if the power can or cannot be passed on during her lifetime, she will be
    born. It is a cycle, it is fate. What your father was trying to do in freezing
    Adel, was to cut the line of sorceresses off. And it was a good plan, until
    Ultimecia decided to unravel it. During the time of Adel's imprisonment, a
    sorceress candidate was born, but never had powers passed to her. They instead,
    went to Rinoa here. If not for Ultimecia and Laguna's meddling with the natural
    flow of things, the lineage would have gone: Adel, unknown girl, me, Rinoa,
    someone else, and then Ultimecia. I'm afraid for that girl, and I'm afraid for
    everyone in the world if Ultimecia does pass on some powers to her. I need to
    ask a big favor of you SeeDs..." Edea looked sadly down at her hands, which were
    folded in her lap. "SeeDs were designed to fight the sorceress. Now, I need to
    ask you to save one."
    Squall placed his hand against his head in his usual
    "I-can't-believe-you-people" manner. Rinoa leaned in towards him, near his ear.
    "Well, Squall, at least your problem about what should be done with Garden
    is
    solved, for now." She said quietly to him.
    **************************************
    It was an uphill battle for the waining sorceress. She had to do this with
    the
    utmost care and concentration, or it wouldn't work at all, and all her trouble
    would be for naught.
    She felt the tug of the Hells at her spirit. It wasn't time for them yet,
    she
    thought violently at them, she still had a bit of work to do.
    The grass swayed softly under the now night sky and Ultimecia began her
    spell.
    She felt her spirit shudder as she decended into the cold dark earth. She
    couldn't feel the earth directly, but it was a grave. It seemed appropriate to
    think of the earth as cold and dark. She was really rescuing her, she thought as
    she reached the simple coffin. A poor candidate that died without ever knowing
    her full potential. What happens when the potential lies untapped? Where does
    the energy go, she wondered. The sorceress passed easily through the coffin, and
    what she saw shocked her a bit. Instead of the bones she was expecting, there
    she was, her body perfectly encased and preserved in a crystaline substance. She
    looked carefully at the casing. It wasn't crystal, it appeared to be ice. As she
    looked, a pair of eyes opened from beneath the ice, deep, piercing blue eyes
    that shot an icy glare through Ultimecia's own. And they did not belong to the
    girl. And a voice spoke, quiet, yet forceful.
    'Begone from this place, Sorceress. Your meddling must not approach here.'
    The
    voice said to her.
    So, they had sealed a GF with her body? Had they forseen her potential,
    even
    after her death? But, the GF would be rampant without being junctioned to
    someone, so it couldn't really be here. She could deal with that.
    'Stand aside, GF!' Ultimecia commanded, 'This is no koncern of yours- you
    interfere, and you will be killed on one swift whim.'
    'I am Shiva,' the voice spoke, 'and I am to protect the body of this girl
    by
    command. Cross me, and prepare for your own Doom!' The GF rose angrily from
    within the ice and rose up in it's full glory, her ice blue hair with the golden
    streaks flying violently in the packed earth about them.
    'I have no time for you, Shiva. Now die.' Ultimecia waved a hand casually,
    and
    a bright beam of magenta light shot through the GF. Shiva's back arched from the
    force of the blow, and the image dissolved. Ultimecia turned to the chunk of ice
    before her. What luck! Perfectly preserved....this would be so much easier than
    she had planned!
    ****************************************
    Squall rolled over and slid his arms around Rinoa's warm body. It was
    about
    midnight, and the Garden was floating serenely out at sea again. He was
    troubled, and fidgety, which in turn prevented him from sleeping.
    Rinoa breathed softly in sleep, but didn't stir. For a former resistance
    leader, she sure slept deeply. Maybe that's why the other members had kept her
    bedroom in the back of the train.
    He leaned up one one arm and bent over her sleeping form, drinking in the
    way
    the moonlight higlighted her pale skin. She was pretty, but not in the classic
    way. She was pretty in a subtle way, so subtle that you didn't notice it until
    after you got to know her really well. He put his mouth close to her ear, and
    brushed a strand of blue-black hair behind it.
    "Rinoa?" He asked softly, shaking her arm as gently as he could. When she
    didn't move, he shook her a little harder, and called her again.
    "Hmmm?" She rolled over and queried sleepily, burrowing her head in that
    spot
    between his neck and shoulder. He changed position and moved over her,
    supporting his weight on his hands. His lanky brown hair fell down and brushed
    softly across her nose. She wrinkled it up, and blew the strands away. "What are
    you doing up?" She asked groggily, "What time is it?"
    "I...I can't sleep." He stammered in a very Un-Squall-like manner, "I
    think for
    the first time in my life, I'm...uneasy, almost-"
    "Nervous?" Rinoa finished for him.
    "Yeah. Nervous."
    "And you want me to comfort you?"
    He leaned in very close to her, his lips inches away from hers, and
    murmured,
    "I just want to hold you, Rinoa..."
    She closed her eyes as he kissed her, but suddenly, Squall shot back, and
    Rinoa
    opened her eyes to see a streak of magenta blast through his bare chest.
    Rinoa sat up in a rush, and caught him before he fell off the bed. She
    dropped
    to her knees beside him while he lay on the bed, gasping for breath, and
    sweating profusely.
    "Squall! Squall! Are you alright? Squall! Answer me!" She cried.
    "G-go to the desk...and....bring me...the blue...potion..." Squall croaked
    out.
    Rinoa scrambled to her feet and opened up the drawers, looking for a G-Returner.
    There was no blue potion to be found.
    Rinoa grabbed a robe, and put it on. She leaned over Squall, and told him
    to
    lie still- that she was going to get one from one of the other students. She ran
    out into the hall and knocked on the first door. She kept knocking and knocking
    until a disgruntled, sleepy Zell finally answered.
    "Whaddya wan- oh, Rinoa! What's going-?" He asked sleepily.
    "G-Returner! I need one, quick! One of Squall's GFs is down!" Rinoa
    exclaimed.
    Zell looked surprised.
    "I don't have anymore, but try Irvine or Selphie. What the hell happened?!
    Was
    he fighting anything?" He asked as he followed her to Selphie's door.
    "I have no idea what happened! One second, he's kissing me, the next he's
    on
    the bed with a dead GF!" She explained as she knocked on Selphie's door
    "That's some kiss..." Zell muttered sarcastically as an unusually
    dishevled
    Selphie opened the door.
    "It's not morning yet you guys..." She murmured, "What's goin' on...?" She
    rubbed at her eyes.
    "Selphie, I need a G-Returner, quick!" Rinoa yelled, "It's an emergency!"
    Selphie pointed at the cupboard in the corner. "There it it is."
    Without further prompting, Rinoa ran in, threw open the cupboard doors,
    grabbed
    the nearest G-Returner, and ran out.
    "W-wait!" Selphie ran after her, trailed by Zell, "What happened!?"
    Rinoa ran in and uncapped the potion. Squall looked a little better since
    she
    left, but she knew they had little time to get the GF back before it was gone
    completely. She administered the G-Returner, and was utterly shocked to find
    that Shiva was the one who had been hit!
    Shiva's entity separated from Squall as the potion took effect, and
    manifested
    herself in the center of the room. She looked concerned, but stern all at once.
    Rinoa looked back at the bed, and noticed that Squall was gone. She would have
    to communicate with Shiva, and they were not compatable at all- it would be like
    talking to Fuujin! But she stepped up, and decided to give it a go.
    As she reached the GF, Shiva reached out and touched Rinoa, startling her.
    No
    words were exchanged. Were they so incompatable as to not even be able to
    communicate beyond emotion?
    First, she felt urgency. And then failure. What did Shiva fail to do that
    was
    so urgent? What had she been doing? Then there was an image in Rinoa's mind, of
    a woman, and ice, and then....Laguna...dream Laguna, not the current Laguna, the
    unofficial-looking official President of Esthar. And then an image
    of...Ultimecia. Shiva released her mind-link with Rinoa, and faded away in
    greenish bubbles while Squall materialized half-naked on the bed. When Squall
    had fully arrived, everyone did a double take; There was their leader, of whom
    they had only once seen without gloves, lying on the bed, with nothing but pants
    to his name. Selphie even managed to blush very cutely. Squall rolled up to a
    sitting position, his head propped up in his hand wearily.
    "What the hell is going on..." Squall muttered angrily. "First Matron gets
    terrible premonitions, and now, dead GFs are popping up and ruining my night."
    He glared at Zell and Selphie, who had no control left except to gawk at him.
    "What are you *staring* at?" He demanded of the two angrily.
    "Uh...what's going on here?" Quistis peered in the doorway in a Garden-
    issue
    bathrobe. "Someone told me there was a ruckus in the North dorms, but..."
    Just then, a jeans and undershirt-clad Irvine jumped in the room, took one
    look
    around, and with his mentality, assumed the worse.
    "Cover your eyes Selphie!" He yelped and leapt at Selphie, and tried to
    cover
    her eyes.
    "Get off of me!" She laughed, "It's not what you're thinking!"
    "What a mess..." Quistis murmured and leaned against the doorframe with a
    smirk. "I would give my best whip to find out what is going on here."
    "It's nothing." Squall ground out, his hackles rising, "It was a GF
    incident,
    and you will all be briefed in the morning, Goodnight everyone."
    "Wha'd I do?" Irvine looked around confusedly as he left.
    After everyone had left, Rinoa shut the door, and turned to Squall and
    quirked
    an eyebrow.
    "What?" Squall looked at her pointedly.
    "You." She smirked, "Everyone seems very thrown off by your lack of
    shirt."
    "Whatever." He said and ran his hands through his hair, tousling it about
    so
    that those small strands hung down in his face next to his eyes.
    "You look good like that, Squall." Rinoa smiled at him warmly.
    "Like what? Annoyed and irritated?"
    "It's adorable." She remarked dryly. "Come on, I know what will relax
    you."
    "Does it involve me taking off the rest of my clothes?" He baited evenly.
    She
    turned away from him, and dropped the robe. Looking over her shoulder, she
    replied coyly:
    "Perhaps..."
    ********************************************
    The girl opened her eyes, for the first time in 17 years. She blinked, as
    her
    tear ducts began to moisten her dry eyes. She felt very strange, like she wasn't
    used to moving her body. She looked around, and drank in the starry sky above
    flower-bestowed fields and hills of rolling green grass. Where was this place?
    Why was she here, and what were these images of a child that kept rising to the
    surface of her mind? Wasn't she...?
    The brown haired woman looked down at her hands, and then touched her face
    with
    them. Cold. Was she cold inside? She looked down at her hands again, the same
    ring that encircled the 4th finger of her left hand was still there. She pulled
    it off, and looked inside.
    The same inscription...
    He had always had an odd way with words, being a writer and all. But he
    was so
    good-hearted, that he stuttered often over the right thing to say. He was always
    thinking, and re-thinking things over and over, trying to perfect them. She had
    never cared, as long as the sentiment was there.
    The love for him began to rise back into her heart as she stood in the
    fields
    where he had proposed to her. She could almost see his face...
    "Woman." A voice said behind her. The woman turned and found herself face
    to
    face with a sorceress!
    Her restored legs gave out from under her and she yelped in surprise- what
    was
    a sorceress doing here? Was she the one who-?
    "I have given you a new life, " The sorceress said, as if reading her
    thoughts.
    "You are the kandidate I was seeking. My powers fade, and my world falls! Take
    my powers, and you shall remain in the state as you are, and bring about a new
    era, the Time Kompression!"
    "Time what?!" The woman began, but Ultimecia cut her off by sendind her
    remaining consciousness into Raine.
    Raine fell backwards on the grass as she felt the weight of the sorceress'
    powers within her. Weight. Feeling. Was all this truely hers again? A world with
    dreams, and hope, and love?
    Love...
    She stood, not feeling anything in her mind except herself. She remembered
    that
    sorceresses had to transfer their powers before they die, so that they could
    rest in peace. But what had she said about Time compression? What was Time
    compression? And why did she wish to achieve it? She wanted nothing to do with
    Time compression. She wanted...wanted...
    Laguna....
    She wanted to see him, so badly...
    Tears spilled from her overflowing eyes, but she was smiling. Still
    crying.
    "Laguna...! Laguna!" She sobbed, and pulled herself to her feet, feeling
    the
    soft touch of the grass under her hands. Ice melted in shattered chunks around a
    deep hole in the ground, while she stood on the hillside, looking at the moon,
    not knowing which way to go, only seeking one thing.
    "Laguna..." She wept, "Where are you!?"
    ***********************************************
    End Chapter 1! ^_^
    


	2. Shards of Sanity


    ::Disclaimer and other things people will probably ignore::
    FF8 and it's characters are copyright by Squaresoft. The plot, however, is mine.
    Touch it,
    and eat horrible GF death. I'm serious!
    ...And finally, this is Rated PG-13-ish for light swearing and suggestive
    themes. Don't
    kill me. Questions? Comments? Flames? Send them to Megami_Yanagi@hotmail.com
    with the subject "FF8 fic" or something similar, or my junk mail folder will eat
    it and say
    "yummy" when it is done. arigatou, and enjoy! ^_^
    From Forever to Infinity
    Chapter 2: "Shards of Sanity"
    ***************************************
    "Listen up." Squall began impromptly, as his usual "briefings" usually went.
    "We've been sent on another mission. I spoke with Edea yesterday." He paced back
    and forth, not realizing that in the back of everyone, Selphie and Irvine were
    snickering, and imagining him without a shirt while he was briefing them.
    "She feels that Ultimecia didn't pass all her powers on to her, and that she
    may have potentially saught another candidate that was alive in Adel's time to
    receive her powers, but never received them because Adel was jettisoned off into
    space. Edea feels that the powers she has are trying to locate the power that is
    missing. Edea and Cid would like us to find this "lost candidate" and protect
    her from Ultimecia, or if Ultimecia has already found her, to put a stop to her
    as well. Any questions?"
    "Why don't we use Edea as a homing device to find the girl and the powers?"
    Zell suggested, "That would be the quickest way to handle it."
    "Can't do that." Squall replied. "She's re-opened the orphanage and is housing
    some children there. We can't just take her."
    "She re-opened the orphanage? That's wonderful!" Quistis smiled, "She's better
    off being 'Matron' anyway."
    "So, where do we start looking?" Rinoa asked.
    "I'm thinking Esthar." Squall mused. "It's the largest city in the world, so
    she has a bigger chance of being there. And the smaller the town after that, the
    closer we are to finding her. After Esthar, we have a 50/50 chance everywhere
    else."
    "You've really thought this through, Squall! Let's go right away." Selphie
    piped up from the back.
    "Your excitement wouldn't happen to be over 'Sir Laguna' and his presence
    there, would it?" Squall remarked tersely.
    "Oh, of course not!" Selphie beamed her most innocent smile at that cold look.
    "They have a wonderful weapons shop there too!"
    "Alright, it's settled. We'll go to Esthar first." Rinoa said, standing up and
    fixing her dress. "Squall, call your father and let him know we're coming."
    "You call that idiot." Squall shot at her.
    "He's your father, Squall!" Selphie looked at him with sad eyes. "You should
    really try and get along with him, even if you have some grudges."
    "You're so keen about him, then you call." Squall retorted.
    "Stop passing off your father to everyone else. Besides, you can see Ellone as
    well." Irvine remarked.
    "Hmmfh." Squall snorted, actually getting angry. The only things that got him
    livid were his father, and Rinoa being in danger. He then proceeded to stalk out
    of the room, muttering something about leaving promptly at 10 AM and having all
    your crap together.
    ****************11:43 AM, Esthar Standard Time**********************
    
    Rinoa, Selphie and Squall had decided to be the three to go for the initial
    visit to President Laguna. Everyone else decided to go shopping. Squall had been
    against it, saying that as SeeDs, they should have more dicipline, and a longer
    attention span, but Rinoa insisted that it would be easier with just the three
    of them at first. He had grudgingly agreed, only because it was Rinoa.
    The escort hover pad made it's stop in front of the green, yellow, and blue
    iridescent building his father called home now-a-days. It always amazed Squall
    how a moron like his father became president. Heroic deeds didn't require
    brains. A president should have more brains, and less heroic deeds. In this
    manner, his father reminded him of his rival, Seifer. Maybe that's why he
    despised him so much...
    As Squall shed light on his inner turmoil, an interior hover pad took the trio
    straight to Laguna's office.
    "We're here." Rinoa poked him, while Selphie ran over to the doors and let
    herself in.
    "Sir Laguna!" She exclaimed and ran over to his desk, piled high with papers.
    "SeeD at your service!" Laguna stood with a start, knocking a good deal of
    paperwork to the floor.
    "Um, hello, everyone! Wow, I didn't expect you here so soon and all..." He
    stuttered, and placed an arm behind his head, laughing nervously. "I would have
    had tea or something ready..."
    "Tea is already on it's way, Laguna." Kiros said from the back of the room.
    Ward shot a look at Laguna, and then made some gestures at Kiros.
    "Ward says you'd lose your head if it wasn't already attached." Kiros
    translated. Laguna flopped back down in the chair, sending *more* papers flying.
    "So," Laguna began, "Why are you in Esthar?"
    'That's where Squall got his inability with words from.' Rinoa thought as
    Selphie and Squall briefed Laguna on the situation. Laguna stared off into space
    for a second after hearing the news, then turned hard in his chair, knocking
    over papers in the process.
    "You don't think it's Elle, do you?!" He jumped up and and picked up the phone.
    "Oh gods, you don't think it is, is it?!" He panicked.
    "Relax, Laguna." Squall said coolly, "It's not Sis." Laguna flopped once again
    into the chair with a heavy sigh of relief.
    "That's great news! So why am I involved?" He scratched his head, and half of
    his hair came undone from it's tie. It made him look infinitely younger. Rinoa
    wondered if Squall looked anything like his mom, because he barely resembled his
    father at all. She had never seen a picture of Raine Loire, and probably never
    would. Was his mother a warm, sweet, person; Sincere like Laguna, or was she
    afraid of people, like her son? Rinoa couldn't remember her mother much. She was
    a pianist, and traveled a lot. And her father was a bastard. No wonder she
    wanted to unravel Squall. He had so many layers underneath, it was like peeling
    an onion. She wrinkled her nose at the thought of raw onions.
    "I guess that means 'no'." Squall said to her, which brought her out of her
    revere.
    "Huh? What means 'no'?" Rinoa asked dazedly.
    "When you make that face, it means you're not happy." He said to her. "So,
    what's wrong with it?"
    "W-what's wrong with what?" Rinoa looked completely confused.
    "I guess you were off in la-la land while we were talking, huh Rinoa?" Selphie
    said with a maliceless laugh.
    "I...I was thinking of raw onions, and wondering what Squall's mother looked
    like..." Rinoa mused aloud. Then she gasped as a bottomless look of sadness
    crossed Laguna's countance. "I-I'm sorry, Laguna!" She looked horrified, "I
    didn't mean to-"
    "It's ok, Rinoa." He looked down at the desk, and more of his hair fell down to
    frame his face. His fingers drew lines down the desk so hard that his fingertips
    turned white against the mohagony as he dragged them downward. "If I don't think
    of Raine once in a while, I might forget her."
    His emotion permeated the air for a minute. "I have a picture in my desk
    here..." He murmured as he searched for it in various drawers. Then he seemed to
    remember something. "Oh, right, I gave it to Ellone." He turned to Rinoa.
    "If you see her around, have her show it to you. She loves to talk about
    Raine."
    "I'll do that, Laguna. Thank you." Rinoa said quietly. Then she remembered
    about the images Shiva had shown her, how one of them was Laguna. Oh well, she
    thought, Squall and Selphie probably told him already. Besides, her train of
    thought running off with her had already caused enough trouble as it was today.
    "Ok, we're done here." Squall proclaimed as he stood and turned to leave.
    "Let's find the others."
    The trio bid their farewells and headed off into the city.
    ************************************************************
    Raine looked out over the landscape. It was definately Winhill, but how had she
    gotten here? All she remembered was walking through that field of flowers until
    her weak legs could support her no longer. Then, she had collapsed, and called
    for Laguna. Had he brought her here? She scrambled to her feet from where she
    had been laying, slumped up against the wall of her house and looked around.
    "Laguna?!" She called out weakly, "Laguna, are you here? Laguna...?"
    She got no answer. However, two kids playing tag in the street froze in their
    tracks, pointed, and screamed in terror, taking off down the street. What had
    she done? Did she look scary?
    And then she remembered, she had been dead.
    She looked at as much of herself as she could without a mirror. She looked
    fine. A little disheveled from sleeping in the street, but not like she'd been
    dead for 17 years. Her skin even had a healthy-looking flesh tone back to it
    now. Why was she in such a good condition? Was it even her body? Was it the
    sorceress' body? No, it couldn't be. The sorceress was definately taller than
    she, and she recalled the sorceress being a spirit, no longer posessing a body.
    What possible purpose did that woman have for bringing her back to life? All she
    wanted was to find Laguna. she desperately wanted to see him again, to hold him
    again, to tell him she loved him...
    Well, 17 years had passed. No one would remember her here, and Laguna never
    would have settled here. It just wasn't his way. It was time to leave. She could
    walk to Dollet, and from there, catch a boat to someplace Laguna might have
    been. But she should stock up on a couple potions, and some rations, she
    decided, and headed to the little shop. Then she stopped, and thought about
    something.
    The first thing was that Winhill had it's own docks- she could get a boat
    there. And secondly, did she have to eat at all?
    Raine placed her hands against her face just like she had the first few moments
    of her renewed life. She was no longer cold. But her stomach hadn't growled at
    all, and she had no fatique from hunger. Maybe her insides were dead. But if she
    was warm, then there was blood flowing. And if there was blood, then there were
    other internal things. Perhaps she had to make herself eat?
    Before she realized it, she had walked to the docks, taken a boat, and was now
    drifting out to sea. Where would she go? Where was Laguna?
    Laguna, Laguna, Laguna, was all her heart cried out. She wanted nothing else
    excpt to see him again. To look into those loving eyes and fall into them.
    "My Laguna..." She murmured, clutching an oar to her chest, and feeling the
    tears welling up in her eyes. She keeled over backwards, onto the floor of the
    rowboat. Her tears floated upward, sparkling in the sunlight off of the sea. She
    closed her eyes as hard as she could to keep the tears in, and wished as hard as
    she could to find him.
    All of a sudden there was a flash of light behind her eyelids, and then Raine
    passed out on the floor of that tiny rowboat in the turbulant sea.
    **************A few days later*******************************
    "Well, we've covered all of Esthar." Selphie announced as they sat in a small
    restaraunt in the Esthar shopping Center. "Where to next, fearless leader?" She
    asked Squall.
    Squall sat across the table from Selphie, and to his right and left sat Rinoa
    and Irvine, respectively. Quistis was between Selphie and Irvine, and Zell was
    between Selphie and Rinoa. Zell was wolfing down chili dogs as fast as they
    could serve them, Irvine had a steak dinner the size of his hat, and the rest
    had club sandwiches except Squall- he had a hamburger, as rare as they would
    cook it.
    "You know Squall, it says 'moo' every time you take a bite." Rinoa razzed him,
    watching him take another large bite and chew it violently. He looked at her
    expectful face. She was trying to get under his skin, trying to lighten him up
    in that way of hers. She wanted him to break, and show some emotion. He was
    working on it. Opening up to people was hard. Hell, he still had trouble opening
    up to Rinoa! She did deserve something for her efforts though. So he screwed up
    some courage, looked at her, and to the ameusement of everyone else, simply
    said:
    "Moo."
    Rinoa clapped her hands in delight while Selphie and Irvine busted up. Squall's
    right cheek twitched in what might have been the beginning of a slight smile.
    "We should look in Galbaldia next." Squall said, "It's the next largest
    continent, with the next largest city, Deling."
    "True..." Quistis mused, "And she wouldn't be in Balamb- we know that much. So
    we check Deling, Dollet, Winhill, and such?"
    "Yeah." Squall said after a swallow. "Something like that."
    Just then, a waiter approached their table with a small portable communications
    device.
    "Is there a 'Squall Leonheart' here by any chance?" The waiter asked nervously.
    Squall raised a hand.
    "I'm Squall. Who's asking?"
    "Comm call from President Loire, Mr. Squall. Direct secure line. He says it's
    urgent." The waiter said and handed him the communicator.
    "Yeah." Squall answered.
    "Squall? Come back to the palace as soon as you're finished. Someone is here to
    see you, and says it's urgent."
    "Who is it?" Squall asked.
    "She- I mean, *they* asked me not to say." Laguna muttered under his breath,
    "Damn."
    "I'll be right back asap." Squall said and hung up the communicator. "Well,
    we're gonna be delayed a little. It seems we have an unidentified female guest
    back at the palace."
    "Oooh, I hope it's Ellone!" Selphie thought aloud.
    "I doubt it." Squall said, "He would have just said so, unless this is his idea
    of a dumbass prank."
    "Well, enough talk!" Quistis quipped cheerfully, "We should hurry up and eat,
    so that we can find out the identity of our 'mystery guest'."
    "Cheers to that!" Irvine proclaimed as he held up a glass in salute fashion.
    The SeeDs then made short work of their lunch and headed back to the palace.
    Squall and the others made their way without incident to the President's
    Office. Selphie once again, let herself in.
    "So, who is it?" Selphie asked cheerfully as she strode in like she owned the
    place. She looked around, and she and all the SeeDs did a double take when they
    saw Edea standing there in her traditional black dress and heels. What made them
    almost do a triple take, were the two children clinging to the folds of her
    skirt.
    One was tall, obviously the older one, a boy of about 6 years of age. He had
    dark black hair, and pale blue eyes. The other one, a little girl, was about 4,
    and had hair just the opposite of the other child. Hers was white blonde and
    wispy. However, her eyes were the same color as the boy's. Maybe they were
    siblings? Squall stared at the childen for a moment, and then addressed Edea.
    "Matron, what are you doing here, especially with children? There are still
    wild monsters around here from the Lunar Cry." Squall repremanded, "They could
    get hurt, or worse."
    The little girl interupted the conversation. "Only we can call Matron that!"
    She declared, her pale blue eyes narrowed with what seemed to be pure hatred.
    "Mecia, please behave!" Edea chided the little girl, patting her head softly.
    "I'm sorry Squall; They lost their parents very recently in a terrible accident.
    So, they are very protective of me, and think I'm going to be gone the next time
    they wake up. Forgive them, you know how it is."
    "Of course." Squall said, understanding full well what she meant. "But what are
    you doing here?"
    "I've come to help you track down the new sorceress, of course." Edea said with
    a small smile. "And I couldn't leave these two there alone."
    "Does Cid know you're here?" Quistis asked her.
    "No, he doesn't. He refused to let me help you, so I came of my own volition."
    She said. "It makes more sense! My power draws me instinctively to it's missing
    half, plus we can't have 6 of Garden's finest running around on a wild chocobo
    chase."
    Edea looked down as the little boy pulled on her skirt and made some hand
    gestures at her. Ward noticed and gestured to Kiros.
    "Ward noted that the boy is signing." Kiros asked Edea, "He wants to know if
    the little one is mute as well."
    "He is." Edea said sadly, "Maybe from the same accident that killed his
    parents, maybe from day one. I can't understand him, but he seems to know how to
    communicate the basic things he needs through hand gestures."
    "Just like Ward." Kiros agreed. "It's strange how I can understand him, even
    though he just gestures." Behind him, Ward made motions at the boy, and the boy
    shyly made motions back. Soon, the boy had stopped clinging to Edea's skirt, and
    was over with Ward, smiling as they "talked" to each other.
    Laguna smiled quirkily at Ward and the little boy's "conversation". "I never
    pictured Ward as a child person." he commented to Kiros.
    "They're just kindred spirits." Kiros replied, "It's not everyday that a mute
    person can find someone who completely understands them."
    "I guess you're right." Laguna agreed.
    "...and the children and I will remain aboard the Ragnarok while you confront
    the new sorceress." Edea was saying. "That way, we will be safe. If it really
    comes down to it, I can protect them myself."
    "Uh uh! Mecia will protect *you*, Matron!" Mecia jumped up and declared. For a
    little girl who had just lost her parents, she sure had spunk. Something about
    her nagged at Squall's mind though. He couldn't put his finger on what was so
    peculiar about her, except the attitude.
    "You know we have to let Cid know where you are." Squall told Edea.
    "I know. But I would like to help in some small way. This is very important; It
    must be stopped."
    "I hope we can deal with this quickly and get back to Garden." Zell whined, "I
    miss their chili dogs already!"
    "With Edea with us, we'll have her in no time, right?" Rinoa asked the senior
    sorceress.
    "Let us hope so, Rinoa." Was all she said.
    *******************************************
    The sun was shining brightly in the aqua colored sky as he walked down the
    shore with her. She was just as beautiful as ever, the sun catching the same
    brown gold streaks in her sepia hair that their son had. He couldn't help but
    look at her, a deep sadness in his chest, even though he felt infinitely happy,
    like everything was perfect again. She turned to him, and spoke.
    "What if you had never left, Laguna?" She looked at him with beseeching eyes.
    Her image blurred slightly around the edges for a second, then stabalized. He
    didn't find anything wrong with this.
    "Would you still be here today...?" He finished. It was the same question he
    had asked himself over and over again for the past 17 years. Would he have been
    able to save her? At the very least, if he had been there, their son wouldn't
    have been brought up with such pain and sorrow in his heart. And he wouldn't
    feel the animosity toward him he felt today.
    He wished Squall felt a little differently toward him. Yes, he could understand
    how he felt, but at the same time, wouldn't he want to establish a rapport with
    the few he had left? Perhaps that was his way, but not Squall's.
    Squall. Squall...who had named him, anyway? Had Raine lived long enough to see
    the face of her only son? Long enough to name him? Or did the caretaker of the
    orphanage name him this? He turned to Raine, but she was looking out over the
    sea. He began to ask that question, but she turned halfway, and he saw her face.
    It was contorted and twisted in a way that disturbed him deeply. Her eyes had
    turned blood red with slitted pupils, and they were ringed with shadows, her
    lips turned up in a twisted sneer.
    "R-Raine?!" Laguna yelped and jumped back. "What the hell...?!"
    "La..gu..na..." She whispered, and the hideous expression faded from her face.
    The red shadowed eyes drooped down in sadness, the mouth turned down in a sorrowful
    expression as he reached for him, tears starting to fall.
    "You're not Raine!" Laguna cried out, the peaceful waves suddenly roiling into
    a storm behind them, the skies turning dark and ominous.
    "Lagu...na...!" She sobbed, "Please, see me!"
    "You're not Raine!" Laguna screamed, and grabbed his head in his hands. "Go
    away! Raine is dead! I can't-! You're not Raine, Raine is dead! Why are you
    doing this to me?!" He cried, "What do you want, and why use her?" Laguna
    suddenly had his gun in his hands, and he shot at the twisted Raine marrionette.
    "Leave Raine out of this! Show your true form!"
    "I am me! This is me, please, see me! Please...!" She cried out as bullets
    grazed her shoulders, tearing wounds across her flesh.
    "Laguna! Laguna, find me! Help me, I, please...I can't..." She lunged at him,
    and together they rolled down the wet sand and into the waves.
    "Why are you doing this!?" Laguna cried out as they struggled in the roiling
    water.
    "I'm here, Laguna!" Raine pinned him down in the shallow water. "Please,
    please, you'll find me here, just find me! Find me, I'm scared, Laguna! LAGUNA!"
    Laguna sat bolt upright in his bed, looking frantically around for the
    storm-riddled shores, only to find his darkened palace bedroom as it usually
    was. He was panting heavily, and his sheets, not to mention himself, were
    drenched in sweat. He felt his chest, his heart was beating madly; Why after all
    this time, have a dream about Raine? Was it because Rinoa brought it up? And why
    was her message to find her? He knew where she was, sleeping in the grassy
    field, her body gently wrapped in Shiva's icy embrace, keeping her as perfect as
    when she was alive. Why? Why did she look like that, like she was...
    A monster? A demon? What was going on? He thought frantically as he paced in
    front of a window. Maybe he should get out more, he mused, take a trip with
    Squall and Elle sometime, go to Trabia maybe, or some small island and camp out,
    like he and Kiros and Ward used to do back in the "good old days". Something had
    to change though, if these dreams were going to continue. Perhaps, he could even
    convince his son to let him sneak along with them to look for the new sorceress.
    It would be more fun than he'd had in ages, he mused, and if Squall put his foot
    down, he knew Selphie or Rinoa would always be glad to sneak him aboard.
    He would ask them before they left for Galbaldia in the morning.
    *************************************************
    End chapter 2! ^^;
    


	3. Limit Break: Nervosa Unfolding


    ::Disclaimer and other things people will probably ignore::
    FF8 and it's characters are copyright by Squaresoft. The plot, however, is mine. Touch it,
    and eat horrible GF death. I'm serious!
    ...And finally, this is Rated PG-13-ish for light swearing and suggestive themes. Don't
    kill me. Questions? Comments? Flames? Send them to Megami_Yanagi@hotmail.com
    with the subject "FF8 fic" or something similar, or my junk mail folder will eat it and say
    "yummy" when it is done. arigatou, and enjoy! ^_^
    Note: I recommend you listen to the FF8 BGM "Timber Owls" if you have it, while
    reading the frist part of this chapter. Hee hee ^_^
    From Forever to Infinity
    Chapter 3: "Limit Break: Nervosa Unfolding"
    ***************************************
    How was he going to do it...? Kiros pondered, looking at Laguna from a safe
    hiding distance. How was he going to weasle his way into going with them?
    "I can't allow that." Squall said, forcing his glare deep into his father's eyes.
    "Well, maybe he could come for a little bit, like a day or something?" Selphie
    suggested.
    "Out of the question!" Squall snapped, "Besides slowing us down by us having to
    drag his ass back to Esthar tomorrow, who's going to run the city while he's out
    galavanting, hmmm?"
    "It's just paperwork, and meetings. It can be delayed a bit." Laguna said, "Plus,
    the stress is getting to me; I need a few days out of here to unwind."
    "Take a Presidential vacation, but you're not coming with us." Squall glared at
    him.
    Surprisingly enough, Laguna began to glare back. "Take me with you, Squall. I
    could be of help."
    "All you'd do is lose the map, and whine about being lost. I've witnessed it
    firsthand, you know." Squall retorted. Laguna's glare faded into a slightly haughty look.
    "Fine fine, you know what's best, huh?" He waved him off and did a 180 degree
    turn.
    Squall mumbled something as he entered the hull of the Ragnarok, but Kiros
    didn't catch it. He ducked behind a pillar as Laguna headed their way.
    He kept waiting for Laguna to walk by, and when he didn't, Kiros decided to
    sneak a peek. What he saw was Laguna trying to climb up one of the thrusters of the
    Ragnarok. What was he doing?!
    Laguna heaved himself up over a thruster with nothing but sheer willpower. He
    had dressed in his old adventuring clothes, and his favorite denim jacket with the metal
    plates on the chest. His machine gun hung across his back, giving him a feeling of
    nostalgia. It reminded him oddly enough of the time they snuck into Esthar. The ironic
    part now, was that he was trying to sneak out of it!
    He crawled around, over the plates on the body, looking for a top hatch. Where
    was the service entrance? They had to have one here somewhere! All the Esthar airships
    had one!
    While Laguna looked for the electrical plate cover, Kiros stripped out of his aid
    robes and down to the outfit underneath, which was the maroon bodysuit from their old
    adventuring days as well.
    He had planned for this. If anyone knew Laguna this well, it was him and Ward.
    They had even arranged it to be alright for him to be gone awhile, as long as one of them
    went with him. Ward had volunteered to stay behind and handle the paperwork.
    Surprisingly enough, Ward liked to do paperwork. He loved to read now, too. It's just
    how he had adjusted. So Kiros had to play bodyguard. The dark-skinned man smiled at
    Laguna's antics over on the Ragnarok. He had found the panel, but couldn't open it, so he
    was pounding on it with the end of his machine gun. Would he ever learn? Kiros started
    to walk over to Laguna, but he noticed that Laguna was now talking to someone.
    Laguna had resorted to trying to catch the corner of the panel with his machine
    gun, but had accidentally bent it. So he was trying to pound it back into place, when it
    opened from inside, and Irvine stuck his head out.
    "Yep. It's Laguna." He said to someone inside. Selphie immediately popped her
    head up next to Irvine.
    "Are you trying to sneak aboard, Sir Laguna?" Selphie asked cheerfully.
    "Um, well, failing at it, but yes. Squall isn't down there, is he?" Laguna asked. If
    Squall knew he was beating up their airship...he'd probably get Lionhearted.
    "Nope." Irvine drawled. "He's with his woman in the cockpit. Sent me to check
    out the noise in the electrical room, and Sefie tagged along like she likes to do, right,
    Sefie?"
    "Yep. I had a feeling it was you." She suddenly looked up, and smiled. "Hello,
    Kiros!" She bubbled. Laguna turned violently in the direction she was looking. Indeed,
    Kiros had climbed up to where they were as well. Now he was going to catch it...
    "I guess your comin' with 'em?" Irvine asked.
    "Well, someone will have to keep him in line." Kiros remarked, smiling lightly at
    Laguna. Laguna just placed a hand behind his head in his usual manner and laughed
    nervously.
    "C'mon you guys! Get down inside! You can hide in the hull until we get a safe
    distance away." Selphie offered, and got herself and Irvine out of the way. As they started
    climbing in, the thrusters roared to life ear-deafeningly.
    "ZELL'S JUST WARMING HER UP FOR ME!" Selphie yelled over the roar of
    the engines, "NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!"
    "OKAY!" Laguna yelled back as they climbed in.
    Selphie and Irvine managed to sneak them into the hold without much incident.
    After they warned them not to leave there until one of them came back and gave the ok,
    they had taken off. Laguna slid down one of the walls and into a sitting position.
    "Alright, Kiros, why are you on my side with this?" He asked warily.
    "Well, Ward and I agreed you needed a small break, so Ward volunteered to
    handle all the paperwork for you while you were gone, so I was left to accompany you.
    Not that I mind, though." Kiros added.
    "So you're a babysitter?" Laguna asked.
    "Only sometimes." Kiros said playfully.
    "Do you know where they're headed?" Laguna asked, "Because I have no idea."
    "Galbaldia, I believe. Starting with Deling, and ending with Winhill." He replied.
    "The town where I met...and also the town I met..." He let it trail off and hang in
    the air. "Geez, I was a big loser in Galbaldia, huh? First Julia, and then...Raine..."
    "Neither was your fault, Laguna." Kiros said softly, "It was all bad
    circumstances."
    "And now I have another one on my hands- a son who rejects me." Laguna bit his
    lip. "He and Ellone are all I've got left of Raine, and, and I want to make the best of it
    before I go and join her. I want to greet her in Heaven, and say that everything is alright!
    That I was able to fix something for once, instead of messing it up, you know?"
    "Maybe you should tell that to Squall." Kiros suggested, "Perhaps he cannot
    percieve what you feel."
    "I can't! I'm no good with words! I'll screw it up, and he'll hate me even more..."
    Laguna sighed and brushed the hair back out of his eyes. Where was the band he'd had in
    his hair a few moments ago? He looked around. No where to be seen. Probably fell out
    when he was climbing in. Oh well, now he really felt young again, with his old clothes,
    and his old hairstyle...like time travel. Kiros must have known what he was thinking,
    because he pulled out his Katar and began to polish them.
    "Haven't used these in a while, " He commented, "Yet I've kept them in good
    condition. Why is that?" He wondered aloud.
    "Because they're nice. Just like my-" He reached for his machine gun, and found
    himself lacking it severely." HEY! Where is it?!" He panicked.
    "You probably left it on top of the Ragnarok." Kiros mused. "That's a shame.
    You've had that gun for..."
    "24 years!" Laguna cried, and pounded the floor in frustration. He pulled his
    knees to his chest, wrapped his arms around them, and hung his head. "Shit..." He
    muttered.
    "I'm sorry, Laguna." Kiros consoled him. "This is no way to start an adventure."
    "It's definately not!" Laguna agreed, and raised his head to the roof of the
    Ragnarok's hold.
    **********************************
    Edea entered the cockpit and walked over to Squall quietly.
    "Squall?" She asked him softly, as if not to startle him.
    "What is it, Matron? Is Zell's flying too rough for you; Want me to get Selphie?"
    He asked.
    "Hey! I fly just fine!" Zell exclaimed, "I'd fly better if I had some-"
    "-chili dogs." Squall finished for him. "I know."
    "Just saying..." Zell said, looking straight ahead.
    Squall turned to Edea. "What do you need, Matron? And where are the children?"
    He inquired.
    "Selphie and Rinoa are teaching them Triple Triad in the Conference Room.
    they're fine. However, Mecia seems to not like either of them, and they are very nice to
    her." Edea mentioned.
    "The girl's name is Mecia, so what's the little boy's name? He's not deaf, is he?"
    Zell interupted.
    "No Zell, he's not deaf, and his name is Bari." Edea explained. "But, there is
    something that should interest you. I sense two more people on board than there should
    be."
    Squall looked at her warily. "Two? Are you sure? We checked the Ragnarok up
    and down for any monsters that may have gotten aboard."
    "The essence given off is not that of a monster." She said. "I think you might want
    to check it out. And also, the feeling of the power has changed. It seems to be all around,
    instead of focused in one place. It's done this before, and should straighten out soon."
    "Ok, well, then, rest until anything changes, then come find me." Squall told her.
    "Meanwhile, I'll run another scan of the ship."
    "You should take someone with you, in case it is an enemy." Edea suggested.
    "I'll be fi-" Squall started, but was stopped by Edea's concerned look. "Oh, alright,
    I'll take Irvine or something- he's not doing anything useful right now."
    "Take care, Squall." Edea smiled softly at him.
    "I will, Matron." He replied, then left the control room.
    Squall made his way back to the Conference Room, where indeed, Selphie and
    Rinoa were trying to teach Mecia and Bari how to play cards. Irvine sat lounging in a
    chair towards the back, spinning his Exeter in silly, cowboy-style arcs. Quistis was
    reading some papers off in the corner. Probably SeeD reports, or pre-SeeD exams.
    "Irvine." Squall said as he leaned against the doorframe, "Can I see you in the hall
    for a moment?"
    Irvine looked up, startled. "Sure thing Mr. Commander." He drawled, and set his
    gun down.
    "You might want to bring that." Squall mentioned, pointing at the Exeter with the
    tip of his Lion Heart. Irvine gave him a strange look and followed him out the door, gun
    in hand.
    "Squall, what's goin-?" Squall heard Rinoa begin, but she was cut off as the
    automatic doors shut behind them.
    " What's up, Squall?" Irvine asked as they walked back into the control room.
    Squall punched a few buttons, but didn't speak.
    "Squall?" Irvine inquired as the screen reported two stowaways on board.
    "Damn..." He muttered, and placed his hand against his forehead, "Why does this
    have to happen?"
    "What's wrong, Squall?" Irvine asked again.
    "We've got company. There are two unidentified people or things in the hold.
    Come on, let's go check it out." He said, swinging the Lion Heart back onto his shoulder.
    "Are you sure?!" Irvine stammered, "I really don't think there are people on board
    that shouldn't be! I mean, we checked, right, huh? We did a thorough check, we're SeeDs,
    remember?" He laughed and spread his arms in a defenseless gesture. "Nothing can get
    by us!"
    "Are you done?" Squall asked, walking in the direction of the hold. Irvine dashed
    after him.
    As they were nearing the hold, Irvine said in a really loud voice, "I don't think
    there's anyone in the hold, Squall."
    "What are you yelling for? I'm right here." Squall muttered annoyedly, poking a
    finger in his ear to get Irvine's voice out of it.
    Squall tapped a few codes into the panel, and the doors opened. Irvine expected
    Squall to explode that very second when he saw Laguna and Kiros, but, they were no
    where to be seen! Irvine looked in ahead of Squall. He looked around carefully, and
    finally spotted them.
    Laguna and Kiros were hiding against the small section of wall between the
    doorframe and the sides of the hull. As long as Squall didn't go all the way in, they were
    safe. Laguna looked at Kiros frantically, but Kiros put his fingers to his lips in a "shhh."
    motion. Squall walked a little past the frame, and spun around to face Irvine. In doing so,
    he brought the tip of the Lion Heart's blade barely millimeters from Laguna's nose!
    Laguna stared at it, and began to panic silently, trying to get his hand between the blue
    glowing tip and his face. From across the way, Kiros was trying to calm him silently,
    telling him taciturnly not to move. While Squall and Irvine were talking, mostly Irvine
    trying to convince him the hull was empty, that blade stayed fractions of a quarter inch
    from his nose. His nose, in indignation at having such a pointed weapon so close to it,
    began to tickle in protest.
    Must not sneeze, must not sneeze, must not sneeze! Laguna repeated to himself
    quietly as the Lion Heart hovered in front of his nose. Must...not...
    Laguna was forcing that sneeze down with all his might and focus. Irvine saw his
    dilemma, both with the Lion heart and the sneeze, and his eyes widened slightly. He
    stepped back a few paces.
    "Why don't we talk out here?" Irvine suggested.
    "Why?' Asked Squall, beginning to bounce the Lion Heart slightly on his
    shoulder. Laguna looked severely panicked at this point, and sweat dripped down one
    side of his face.
    "I trust what the computer says, Irvine." Squall told him, "They may have ways
    to avoid detection."
    "Such as..." Irvine prompted him.
    "There are many things, like-" Squall was cut off in his explination by a loud
    sound echoing throughout the hold. He and Irvine turned abruptly, and to
    Laguna's relief, got the Lion Heart out of his face. But they had been found out
    now!
    "Alright, get out here and fight!" Squall called, "I know you're in there!"
    Another very loud sneeze echoed thoroughout the large chamber.
    "Get out here!" Squall yelled, for the first time in awhile. Irvine had never
    seen Squall get angry enough to yell before. He had a cold chill run up his
    spine. First here was one tenative footstep, and then another, and a man with long hair
    came into view, and then another, darker skinned man walked up. The first man had his
    hands held high, and an embarassed look on his face. The second had his hands at his
    sides very stoically.
    "L-Laguna...?" Squall asked under his breath as the men came the light from the
    doorway. "...and Kiros...?" Suddenly, Irvine and the others saw a deep, dark thundercloud
    pass over their commander's face. He turned to Irvine.
    "You helped them, didn't you?" He seethed. Irvine took one look at Laguna and
    Kiros, another at Squall, then took off down the hall at a dead run. Squall swung his
    Gunblade as if to persue him, but decided against it. Instead, he turned to Laguna and
    Kiros.
    "Get in the conference room." Was all Squall could manage without exploding.
    ************************************
    The boat bumped against the rocky shore in the waves, and the motion finally
    roused her from her unconsciousness. She sat up blankly, her hair falling out of it's
    headband, and her sweater wrinkly and slightly damp. She reached up and readjusted the
    beige headband, and tried the best she could to fix the sweater.
    "Where am I...?" She asked aloud. There were miles of rocky beach, and
    mountains all around. She did not recgonize the place at all, but knew she wasn't back in
    Winhill.
    She climbed unsteadily out of the boat and drug it up the rocky coast so that it
    wouldn't float away.Then she picked a direction to walk in, and began walking.
    All she wanted to do was see him. Each footstep, possibly bringing her one step
    closer to her Laguna...
    She walked on, for miles and miles, wondering again why she felt no exhaustion,
    and no hunger. Well, she had cravings for food-- like the scallop linguini that she used to
    serve back at the bar in Winhill, but no real stomach growling or any of that. Maybe she
    really did have to force herself to eat. What if she couldn't taste anything anymore? She
    could see, and smell, and touch...what about?
    In the barren wasteland, there was a small scrubby bush with withering berries on
    it. Raine walked over, and picked one. She crushed it between her fingers, and licked a
    little of the juice that came out from off of her finger.
    It was tart, very tart. She coughed until the funny feeling in her throat left, and
    tossed the berry aside. Well, she definately could taste again.
    She walked on for about anothe mile, before she saw the city in the distance. It
    was tall, and beautiful; Greens and blues and yellows shining off of it in the bright
    sunlight. Was he...? She wondered. Was Laguna there?
    The closer she got to the city, the more she began to hear the noises. Yelping,
    growling, fearful noises one should only hear at night. Suddenly, one of these nosies
    came from right behind her! She pressed her hands against her chest, and looked around.
    There were two cat-like creatures, both spotted, and with long magenta tendrils
    flowing from off their muzzles. They ran at her, and laid down on the floor.
    What were these creatures?! Raine ran through her mind frantically, trying to
    place them. They were some mythological creature, only coming from the moon during a
    Lunar Cry. Was there a Lunar Cry while she was dead?
    That's what they were called- Toramas. She remembered suddenly, as one begain
    to twitch it's wiskers, and cast a spell.
    Raine turned to run, and didn't get very far before a dark cloud encircled her, and
    sucked away some of her strength. She fell to her knees one it had dissapated, and turned
    back toward the Toramas.
    The other one was starting to cast. Raine felt this incredible surge of energy
    within her, and wondered how she would protect herself. Then, as if her
    subconsciousness took over, she cast a spell!
    A bluish energy hit the creature, and it stopped mid-cast. What had she done to it?
    The other Torama snarled and stood up. The other stood as well, but didn't make any
    noise. Had she silenced one? What other magic did she know?
    A list of spells went running through her head all at once, so she picked the first
    one she had seen, and cast it at the Toramas.
    A huge blast hit the Toramas, and they went flying in all sorts of directions, like
    their bodies were being torn apart! They flew high in the magenta blast, and hit the
    ground from miles up with a loud sickening thud. They did not move.
    What was this power? She asked herself as she dropped to her knees in front of
    the Torama's corpses. That was the spell "Apocalypse"? The earth and dead Torama's
    images became blurry and fuzzed out of her view. She felt incredibly depleted, like her
    energy was rushing from her as fast as it could. So these were her powers, and she could
    use them. What an odd feeling, she thought to herself as she fell to the dusty earth. But
    why? Why did the sorceress choose her? Why did she want to achieve making time into
    one linear movement?
    And where was her Laguna? She wondered as she slipped back into the healing
    arms of unconsciousness.
    *******************************
    "Squall, " Quistis tried to calm him, "You need to relax. Your veins in your
    forehead are going to explode if you don't lower you blood pressure."
    "He snuck aboard after I specifically forbade him not to." Squall gritted through
    clenched teeth, "Why should I go easy on that idiot?"
    "Squall, he means well!" Selphie told him.
    "Oh, so that's why you and Irvine helped him sneak in? Trying to be helpful, huh?
    That's so like you two, causing trouble when you're together! Why can't you two grow
    up?"
    "Squall!" Yelled Rinoa angrily, "You take that all back! You're the one acting like
    a spoiled child in all of this! He's not compromising anyone, and you're just doing this
    over your own selfish, unbased dislike of him just because you haven't taken time to get
    to know your own father!" She exploded. "You're a big meanie!"
    Squall looked taken aback. "This is SeeD protocol, I can't-"
    "You've broken rules for everything else!" She shot back at him, "Especially me.
    Technically, I shouldn't be here either. Are you going to jettison me off with them?"
    Rinoa glared at him daringly, tapping her foot, waiting for an answer.
    "I'm not going to jettison them off." Squall said, taken aback by Rinoa's anger,
    and the fact that she spoke the truth. "But he's being completely undependable to Esthar,
    and-"
    "I'm sorry." Kiros interrupted, "But he does have a period of absence designated
    for his leave, and Ward is taking care of things. It's perfectly alright for him to be here, if
    this information helps alleviate some animosity between us all."
    "See?" Irvine drawled, half hiding behind a conference room chair. "It's ok for
    him to be here."
    "Stay out of this Irvine." Zell warned quietly, "I don't like that look on his face."
    "Squall, I promise..." Laguna said suddenly, "...to stay out of your way." And with
    that, Laguna turned and walked out of the room. Kiros looked after him, but didn't
    follow, seeing that his friend needed time alone. Squall turned and left as well.
    "That didn't go over too well." Zell commented.
    "Rinoa...?" Quistis asked the girl in light blue, "Are you alright?"
    "Yes, fine. Just a bit angry, that's all." She flopped down in a conference room
    chair in a very un-Rinoa-like manner, her hands dangling in her lap. "You know,
    sometimes I'd just like to-!" Rinoa muttered angrily.
    "Strangle him?" Selphie offered.
    "Take my Blaster Edge and shove it in that big insensitive mouth of his!" Rinoa
    huffed angrily.
    "You don't wanna do that, Rinoa." Irvine said to her, "Besides, that's a Shooting
    Star. Best you can find. Very expensive to make; You don't wanna wreck it by crammin'
    it down Squall's throat, now do ya?"
    "No, probably not!" Rinoa laughed. "Sometimes, he just frustrates me so much,
    that I turn into him."
    "Yeah, it's a little like that." Selphie giggled.
    "Well, hopefully, this will bring Laguna and his son closer together." Kiros
    commented, thinking aloud.
    "What do you mean, Kiros?" Zell asked him.
    "Hmmm? Oh, nothing, just thinking." Kiros said. Rinoa jumped up, with mischief
    in her eyes.
    "You helped him sneak aboard so him and Squall could make amends?!" She
    smiled excitedly, "That's wonderful Kiros! What a great friend for Laguna to have!" She
    jumped up and hugged Kiros, who looked a little shocked. Selphie laughed, and pointed
    this out.
    "Well, it was kind of the intent. The other was to just give Laguna a break, but
    that doesn't seem likely here, does it?" The dark-skinned man commented wryly.
    "Well!" Rinoa stood up, apparently full of new resolve, "This is our chance to get
    those two together and be father and son! I can't sit around like a lump and let you do all
    the work, Kiros. I'll help from my end too!"
    Kiros laughed, which was a rather nice experience.
    "Raine would have loved you." He said quietly.
    "Who is...?" Rinoa began, confused.
    "Squall's mother, and Laguna's wife." Quistis explained.
    "Oh..." Breathed Rinoa, "Squall never said anything, so I never found out her
    name...Raine, and...Squall...and Laguna...all water related."
    "So," Irvine pondered jokingly, "Rain in a Lagoon makes a Squall?" He smiled
    his best charming smile at everyone. Everyone groaned except for Selphie, who, of
    course loved Irvine's terrible jokes.
    "I guess I should talk to him." Rinoa piped up and swung herself out of the chair.
    As she reached the door, it opened all by itself, and she almost ran into Edea!
    "Oh! Sorry!" Rinoa exclaimed, and backed up so the sorceress could pass. Edea
    thanked her, and walked in, explaining that she had disturbing news.
    "What is it Matron?" Quistis asked concernedly.
    "For a moment, I felt the power pulling back the way we came from. But then, it
    was all around again. If the sorceress- huh? Where is Squall? And who is that man?"
    Edea asked.
    "Kiros Seagul, Presidential Aide to President Laguna of Esthar." Kiros offered a
    hand, "Pleasure to make your aquaintance. But please, call me Kiros."
    "The pleasure is mine, Kiros. I am Edea, I run an orphanage on Centra, but I am
    also a Sorceress. Please do not think ill of me for that." Edea accepted his hand, and
    shook it warmly.
    "I had no thought of doing so." Kiros replied. There was a small bit of silence.
    "Please go on, Matron." Irvine prompted.
    "Oh, right. As I was saying, it seems the sorceress is getting a better handle on her
    powers. the only way my powers pull toward hers is if the power has been lying dormant
    for a bit, as if charging up. If the sorceress uses the power, it seems my powers pull me in
    every direction,a s if it's all around me. We are, I'm afraid, running out of time for the
    easy search. One she finally realizes her powers fully, we will be searching blind, so to
    speak." Edea hung her head. " And then I will be of no further help to you all."
    "Oh no, Matron, you're a big help! " Selphie exclaimed, "We'll find her soon, I
    know it! Please trust us, Matron!"
    "That's Sefie for ya, so cheerfully looking on the optimistic side, and full of
    hope." Irvine smiled at Selphie. "She's our whole morale!" Selphie blushed at the
    compliment.
    "Alright Matron, just go back and relax, and we'll take it from here." Quistis said.
    "Do you need anything, Matron?" Zell asked.
    "Oh, no I'm fine. Thank you Zell."
    "If you need anything at all, just let one of us know!" Selphie piped up brightly.
    "Thank you, everyone." Edea said as she left.
    Everyone hung around the Conference Room, except Rinoa, who left to find
    Squall.
    "Uh...guys...?" Selphie asked after a minute had passed.
    "Yeah?" Zell answered.
    "If we're all here, who's flying the Ragnarok...?"
    "It's on auto-pilot to Deling City." Zell said, "Relax."
    "You put my ship on auto-pilot!?" Selphie screamed, and ran out of the room.
    "Ah...ha ha ha..." Zell laughed nervously while everyone else just looked at him.
    ********************************
    End chapter 3 ^_^
    


	4. A Place to Lay the Blame


    ::Disclaimer and other things people will probably ignore::
    FF8 and it's characters are copyright by Squaresoft. The plot, however, is
    mine.
    Touch it, and eat horrible GF death. I'm serious!
    ...And finally, this is Rated PG-13-ish for light swearing and suggestive
    themes. Don't kill me. Questions? Comments? Flames? Send them to
    Megami_Yanagi@hotmail.com with the subject "FF8 fic" or something similar, or
    my
    junk mail folder will eat it and say "yummy" when it is done. arigatou, and
    enjoy! ^_^
    From Forever to Infinity
    Chapter 4: "A Place to Lay the Blame"
    ***************************************
    Rinoa walked over to the door of one of the sleeping quarters, and
    opened it a
    crack. Yep, there he was, lying on the bed, deep in thought, as usual.
    "I see you standing there." Squall said in a monotone. Rinoa opened
    the door
    and walked in, sitting on the edge of the bed.
    "Squall..." She began, but he interrupted her.
    "If it's about Laguna or anything that just happened within the last
    10
    minutes, I don't wanna talk about it right now." He told her. She lay down
    next
    to him, and mimicked his position. He shook his head, and turned away from
    her.
    "Kiros told me he lost his gun." Rinoa said, lying on her back with
    her hands
    behind her head. "So now he's defenseless."
    "It figures!" Huffed Squall.
    "Maybe you could do something constructive with him." She prompted,
    "Like...teaching him how to use a new weapon."
    "Absolutely not!" Squall sat up violently and looked at her. "He's
    not touching
    my Lionheart!"
    "What about that old revolver model you have lying in the case?"
    Rinoa looked
    at him, her eyes smiling even though her face looked serious. "It's really
    just
    rusting away in there, when it could be being used to chip away at the silent
    wall between you and your father."
    "Why can't Irvine give him a gun? I'll bet he has tons lying
    around..." Squall
    said, sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands. "Besides, he's
    used
    to guns..."
    Rinoa sat up and wrapped her legs around Squall from behind, resting
    her head
    on his back.
    "Don't become like me." She said, with unusual sadness in her voice,
    "I can't
    stand my father, and all I have left of my mother is a song she wrote for
    some
    soldier she was in love with a long time ago who never returned her
    feelings."
    She hugged him from behind, and he placed his hands over hers.
    "Don't be like this..." He whispered, "You're supposed to be the
    happy one, and
    I'm supposed to be the strong one."
    "That's what you think it is? Being strong? You can be strong and
    happy, you
    know. Don't hold so much back, ok?" She said quietly. "Sometimes we get
    chances
    we let go to waste. Please don't let your chances with Laguna go to waste- he
    and Ellone are all you've got left of your family."
    He was silent for a moment, letting her words sink in. Then he stood
    up with
    her still on his back. She let go and slid off, taking a step back.
    "What are you gonna do?" She asked. He opened his gunblade case, and
    pulled out
    a worn revolver from behind the velvet rest for the Lionheart.
    "This was my very first gunblade..." He mused, looking at it.
    "Perhaps it's
    time the old man learned something useful." He smiled the best he could at
    Rinoa. Her eyes widened, and she looked truely happy for him.
    "That's the spirit!" She cried, and thrust one of her fists in the
    air, the
    same way Zell did after a good battle.
    **********************************************
    "Aww man, why do we hafta come out here, ya know? We could get the
    ingredients
    somewhere else, ya know?" A dark-skinned man complined to a white-haired
    woman
    in blue wearing an eyepatch.
    "ELYNOLES. HAVE ENERGY CRYSTAL. RUBY DRAGON. YOU FIGHT?" She looked
    at him
    pointedly.
    "Well, I definately don't wanna fight Ruby Dragons, but where are we
    going to
    find Elynoles? They're not really common here, ya know?" The man stroked his
    chin with his right hand, holding a massive bo in the other.
    "ELYNOLE. NEAR ESTHAR. YOU AND I. TOO FAR."
    "We went too far? Ohhh man, now we're lost!" He kicked the ground,
    and sent a
    cloud of dust swirling. "This is bad, ya know?"
    The woman kicked him and sent him sprawling on the floor.
    "WALK TO COAST. FOLLOW TO ESTHAR FENCE. GO HOME." She told him.
    "That's right! We can get home that way! You're smart, ya know?"
    Raijin said
    and picked himself up off the ground. "Let's go so we can fight those
    Elynoles
    and get the energy crystals for Seifer's new Lionheart, ya know?"
    The woman in blue, Fujin, just shook her head and took off after him.
    "Look at me, goin' to the beach, goin' to the-" Raijin stopped mid
    sentance
    when he saw something on the ground ahead of them. He halted Fujin silently,
    and
    pointed at it.
    "ENEMY?" Fujin asked Raijin.
    "No, I think it's a person, ya know?" He said.
    "ENEMY PERSON? LOOKS DEAD. NOT MOVING." She observed.
    "Ya, lets see if they're dead or not." Raijin said, and walked over
    to the
    body. He was taken aback by what he saw; There were 3 bodies total, one of a
    very attractive young woman in a beige sweater and headband, sprawled
    prettilty
    on
    the ground, and ahead of her were the mangled corpses of two Toramas. He
    knelt
    down, and checked the woman's pulse. It was there, ever so slight, but there.
    "She's alive!" Raijin exclaimed.
    "...SHOCK." Said Fujin, and looked at the woman. "GIRL. TAKE TO
    ESTHAR?" She
    asked.
    "We could always take her back to the city until she wakes up. Seifer
    will know
    what to do from there, ya know?"
    "TORAMA. FIRST. CHECK FOR ITEM." Fujin reminded him. Raijin went over
    and
    searched the remains of the bodies of the Toramas.
    "What's this...?" He asked as he picked up a shiny object. Fujin
    walked over
    and looked at it.
    "MOONSTONE. GOOD FOR GUNS. NOT FOR LIONHEART." She said.
    "But we could sell it ya know- Oh! Here's another one!" He cried
    happily.
    "We'll be able to go out and eat tonight."
    "SEIFER. COOKING BAD." Fujin agreed.
    "Well, c'mon, lets get goin'." Raijin said. He slipped the moonstones
    in his
    pocket, picked up the girl, slung her over his shoulder, and they headed back
    toward the city.
    ***********************************
    Laguna sat in the now empty cockpit of the Ragnarok. What should he
    do now? He
    seemed to be a total failure as father, and as a person.
    "Raine, what should I do?" He asked the empty room, his head in his
    hands. The
    only answer he heard was the roar of the Ragnarok's engines, and the computer
    stating that they would be approaching Deling City in one hour and twenty-
    five
    minutes.
    He sighed heavily, and looked out the window. Life would have been so
    much
    easier if it hadn't turned out like it had. Squall and Elle would have grown
    up
    together, probably join the army like he had done after graduating from
    Centra
    Garden, and learned how to use a machine gun, not that gunblade that he
    wielded.
    Although, he did wield that gunblade well. Hell, it even looked good on him.
    He
    wore it like he wore his hostility at the cruel world that he had been
    brought
    up in. What had posessed him to even consider a gunblade in the first place?
    Very few people used gunblades, but since the Ultimecia incident, gunblades
    were
    in high demand. Imagine that, his son, his son that hated him and the world,
    was
    a mini hero!
    The doors swung open, and Squall walked in, carrying his Lionheart
    and another,
    smaller gunblade. What was he doing? Was there such a thing as a twin blade
    technique for a gunblade? Well, there were dual gun techniques, and twin
    sword
    techniques, so why not double gunblade?
    "You're staring." Squall looked at him. Laguna broke his gaze away
    from the
    gunblades and focused it on his son's hard expression. But, he looked
    slightly
    different...paler, maybe? No, almost...no, he couldn't put his finger on it,
    but
    definately different.
    "Here." Squall said, handing the Revolver to his father.
    "Wha...?" Laguna looked at him, truely confused.
    "You lost your gun, right?" Squall said, shoving the Revolver at him,
    handle
    first. "You can't run around unarmed if you're coming with us."
    "Squall, I- I can't use this!" Laguna stammered, looking at it.
    "It's the same one I used to train with. You'll be fine. I even
    locked the
    firing mechanisim for this, so we don't kill each other." Squall offered the
    small gunblade to him again. Laguna took it gingerly, making sure not to
    touch
    the trigger mechanisim.
    "I've never used one of these before! How will I-?" Squall cut him
    off.
    "I'm going to teach you. Now come on. Let's go into the hold- there's
    more
    room." Squall said and walked out. Laguna looked at the gunblade, and then
    out
    the window for a second.
    "Well, here goes nothing." He said, and started to walk to the hold.
    Just as he
    got outside, Selphie came flying up the stairs and into the cockpit with
    nothing
    but a wave and a rushed "Hisirlagunacan'ttalkgottafly!" in passing. He waved
    at
    her as she rushed past, then made his way back to the hold.
    "What took so long?" Squall asked him, tapping the tip of his
    Lionheart on the
    floor impatiently.
    "I had to let Selphie by, otherwise, I'd impale her on this." He
    explained,
    holding out the Revolver.
    "Well, let's get started." Squall motioned to the middle of the room.
    Laguna
    walked over, and Squall set his Lionheart up against one of the walls.
    "What are you doing...?" Laguna asked suspiciously. Squall never left
    his
    gunblade anywhere!
    "Here." Squall said, standing behind Laguna, and taking his arms
    while he held
    the revolver. "You hold it like this when you're in the "at ease" position."
    He
    made Laguna's arms turn the gunblade down and at an angle. Then he pulled his
    arms up and positioned them holding the gunblade with the blade up and out in
    front of his chest, at an angle.
    "This is the 'Offensive Position'." Squall explained, "This is how
    you hold it
    when you think a chance to get a hit in is coming up." He then moved Laguna's
    arms out so that he was holding the gunblade straight out and up, then he
    made
    Laguna's arms swing it over his shoulder. "This whole movement is the "Attack
    position". You repeat it backwards to land a basic blow." He made Laguna's
    arms
    go through the movement two more times. Then, he made his arms bring the
    gunblade parallel to his chest.
    "Now, put the palm of your hand against the flat of the blade like
    this. This
    is the "Defense Position". You can move it up or down to deflect an attack,
    but
    you use your flat hand to determine the direction, not the hand that's on the
    handle."
    He let go of Laguna's arms, and stepped back a safe distance from
    Laguna. "Now
    show me the movements I just ran you through as I say them."
    Laguna looked overwhelmed at all the information he had just
    absorbed. And he
    was still thinking that it had to look damn funny with Squall standing behind
    him moving his arms like that.
    "Ah, alright. Which one first?" Laguna asked, looking confusedly at
    the
    Revolver.
    "Attack position." Squall said. Laguna swung the blade into the
    beginning
    position.
    "All of it." Squall commanded. His father held the blade in front of
    him, and
    then swung it back, but a little too hard. He lost his balance for a second,
    and
    almost toppled over backwards. Squall put a hand against his forehead and
    shook
    his head sadly.
    "Not so hard." He told him. Laguna smiled embarassedly and did it
    again, but
    not as hard as he had done before.
    "Offense position." Squall said next. Laguna held the gunblade out in
    front of
    him at an angle.
    "Turn the blade out toward your opponent." Squall corrected him.
    Laguna fixed
    it.
    "Defensive position." He said. Laguna held the blade out in front of
    him, one
    hand flat against the blade.
    "Now, block to your left." Squall said, arms crossed in front of him.
    Laguna
    paused for a moment, then guided the blade into a left block.
    "Now block right, up, down, lower left, upper right, behind you upper
    right."
    Squall barked out orders and Laguna took them. It was an odd feeling for them
    both, but in a small way it made Squall feel more in control with his father,
    and in the same odd way, it made Laguna feel that his son and him were
    actually
    establishing some sort of tenative rapport.
    "Alright, "At ease" position." Squall directed, and after Laguna
    pointed the
    blade down, he grabbed the Lionheart and stood next to him, his blade in the
    "At
    Ease" position as well.
    "Now watch what I do. This is how you attack with an overhand swing."
    Squall
    said, and made the motion. "You lead with the foot opposite your dominant
    hand,
    got it?"
    Laguna looked at his feet.
    "No, no, watch me, then you figure it out." Squall motioned, then did
    the
    overhand swing again. He stepped back. "Now you try. Remember to lead with
    the
    non-dominant foot."
    Laguna place his non-dominant foot in front of him, and stepped into
    the swing.
    He completed it, and was amazed at how good it felt. Maybe the gunblade
    wasn't
    such a bad weapon after all. And he could shoot with it too?
    "So how do I fire it?" Laguna asked, looking at the Revolver.
    "That comes later. Now we'll teach you the "Swipe Slash"." Squall
    said. Laguna
    scratched his head with his free hand.
    "Again, watch me, then copy it when I'm a safe distance away." He
    said, and
    performed a "Swipe Slash" which was nothing but holding the Lionheart away
    from
    you diagonally, and running it straight across the air in front of you.
    "It doesn't look like much." Laguna commented after he did it. "Could
    disembowel someone though."
    "Yeah, but when it's paired with the overhand swing, then it's
    something
    damaging." Squall said, and stepped back. "Now you try."
    Laguna did a "Swipe Slash" with ease, much to Squall's surprise. He
    picked up
    things rather quickly, for an idiot.
    "Ok, now do this." Squall commanded and did an overhead swing that
    immediately
    went into a "Swipe Slash".
    "Wow, that's nice!" Laguna looked at his son, clearly impressed. "Can
    you keep
    doing that over and over?" He asked.
    "Yeah, it's called "Renzokuken" and it's a pain-in-the-ass techinque
    endurance-wise. I think I'm the only one in the world that can do it
    completely
    without passing out from the complete amount of stamina it takes." He said
    casually. "You can try it though. I really only use it when I'm in a
    desperate
    or critical situation."
    "Um...hmmm..." Laguna pondered, then tried to do Renzokuken, but only
    got 4
    swipes in before his arms began to ache.
    "It makes muscles hurt that a person shouldn't even use!" Laguna
    complained,
    and rotated his arm in it's socket to get the stiffness out.
    "And as for the gun part, there is no real way to do it. You just
    pull the
    trigger as you land a hit." Squall told him. "And now you know the basics of
    using a gunblade." Squall pulled his Lionheart into Offensive position, and
    set
    his feet. "So let's see how you do."
    "You-!" Laguna looked at him in shock, "You want me to attack you?!"
    "It's just sparring. I want to see if you've been paying attention."
    He said.
    "Ok..." Laguna conceded, "But go easy on me, I'm getting old, you
    know."
    "Take your position." Squall warned him.
    "Which one?" Laguna asked.
    "Offensive, you idi-" Squall began, but caught himself. "Just,
    Offensive
    position. Always enter a battle in offensive position unless you know the
    enemy
    is going to jump you immediately."
    "Oh, ok." Laguna said, and got into Offensive position.
    "Ready?" Squall asked him.
    "Yeah, but if you want to call me and idiot, do it to my face. In
    your eyes, I
    probably deserve it." Laguna said from behind the Revolver. Squall looked
    surprised, and dropped his guard slightly.
    "Prepare yourself!" Laguna yelled and rushed at Squall, gunblade
    raised. As he
    swung it down, Squall blocked it with ease and deflected it off the
    Lionheart.
    "You know, a surprise statement won't make me an easy target." Squall
    said, a
    slight bit of hostility in his voice. Laguna rushed at him again, and Squall
    blocked it, but before he could parry, Laguna tried a Swipe Slash on him.
    However, he also blocked that as well, but it made him fall back, and lose
    some
    ground.
    "It was the truth. I am an idiot. I made some horrible mistakes in my
    life."
    Laguna said, and the two gunblades slid apart.
    "What about the woman you loved? You left her to die!" Squall cried
    and rushed
    Laguna. He blocked the blow weakly, and had to slide out of the way to avoid
    getting hit.
    "I was trying to save Elle!" Laguna shot back as the blades met yet
    again. "I
    had no idea childbirth would kill such a strong woman!"
    "Why'd you let her get kidnapped in the first place?!" Squall yelled
    angrily,
    showing emotion for the first time Laguna had seen since finding him again.
    "Adel was kidnapping every little girl in the world!" He yelled back,
    "How was
    I supposed to react? Raine was perfectly healthy when I left, and she wanted
    me
    to find Ellone!"
    "And you were gone for a whole year, leaving your wife behind while
    she was
    with child?" Squall asked him vehemently as the gunblades clashed between
    them.
    "I didn't know!" Laguna defended himself. Squall stopped in mid
    swing, and him
    and Laguna passed each other. Squall spun around and used the Lionheart to
    help
    him keep his balance. Laguna ran until he hit a wall, then he used it to turn
    himself around.
    "You didn't know...?" He asked blankly, his gunblade in the "At Ease"
    position.
    "I didn't know! After I found Elle, I sent her home ahead of me, and
    when I
    returned to Winhill, Raine was dead, and the townspeople had sent my children
    off to some orphanage; And they wouldn't tell me where the hell it was! I
    spent
    years looking for you and Elle after that!" He held his hands out weakly. "I
    thought becoming the President of Esthar would help me find you, but you two
    had
    already been shipped off to your respective Gardens, from what Ellone tells
    me."
    "She was at Balamb...no, not for the whole time. She transferred just
    after my
    15th birthday. Where was she before then?" Squall asked him.
    "Centra Garden. It was the Garden I trained in before it went
    underground."
    "There IS a Centra Garden?" Squall asked dumbfoundedly.
    "There was before it went underground. Ellone says it's where Edea
    trains her
    elite "White' SeeDs now." Laguna told him.
    Squall looked down at he floor. "But how could you let Mother die?!"
    He yelled,
    "How could you? You could have done something...?" Squall was fighting with
    his
    inner turmoil, trying to make heads or tails of it. He looked at Laguna, a
    strange expression in his eyes.
    "I- I know this isn't your fault." He said, looking at his father
    with his head
    bent down and turned to one side. The gunblade balanced precariously between
    the
    At Ease position and the Offensive position as he spoke. His hands were
    visibly
    shaking from inside the gloves he always wore. "But...I still hate you for
    what
    happened. Even though it isn't your fault. Even though you had no control
    over
    what happened...even though you tried your best...." Squall raised the
    Lionheart
    into Attack position, and came at him with all his anger fueling his
    strength.
    "BUT SOMEONE HAS TO BE BLAMED!"
    Laguna held his gunblade up and defended Squall's blows, each one
    weakening his
    arms more and more. Was this...? He was using the Renzokuken technique on
    him!
    On the last hit, Squall put all his remaining strength and anger into
    it, and
    slammed the Lionheart hard against the Revolver. The Revolver flew out of
    Laguna's hands, and the force of the blow knocked him onto his back slightly
    beneath Squall.
    As the Revolver spun across the floor, showering the area with
    sparks, the tip
    of the Lionheart cut deep into the metal floor just a fraction of an inch
    away
    from Laguna's head. He looked over at the gouge in the floor, and noticed
    that a
    couple of his hairs were missing, but that was the least of his worries now.
    Laguna rose to a sitting position as Squall leaned hard on the
    Lionheart, using
    it to support his weight. This just drove it deeper into the rend in the
    floor
    with a horrible squeal.
    Squall was breathing hard, sweat pouring down his face in tiny
    drops. His eyes
    were closed, and his grip on the Lionheart did not ease up. Laguna got into a
    kneeling position, and put one of his hands carefully on Squall's shoulders.
    "Squall...?" He asked tenatively. Squall began to slump forward,
    without
    opening his eyes. Laguna put his arms around his son, and hugged him close to
    him. Even if he was 17, and SeeDs best mercenary, and Commander of Balamb
    Garden, he was still a child. A child who needed someone.
    Squall didn't fight his father, but instead let go of the Lionheart
    and leaned
    into his arms openly, kneeling on the floor in front of him.
    "Dad...?" Squall asked quietly. It was the first time he had called
    him that,
    and it sounded a little strange.
    "Yeah, Squall?" He answered.
    "I'm...sorry. This wasn't supposed to end up like this."
    "I didn't think it was." Laguna said quietly, his arms still around
    his son.
    "Whatever happened to that time?" Squall asked, "Fathers and children
    shouldn't
    be fighting like this. We should be building birdhouses, or fishing, or
    something, but not this."
    Laguna looked over his son's shoulder. In the floor of the Ragnarok,
    he could
    just barely see his reflection. The way he was turned made the gouge in the
    floor appear across his face, just like Squall's scar. It made him sad,
    regretting all the moments they had missed.
    "Will you tell me...about mom?" Squall asked in a pained voice. "Tell
    me all
    about her, ok...dad...?"
    Laguna tousled his son's sweat-soaked hair.
    "Nothing would please me more." He said with a smile.
    ***********************************************
    Rinoa sat in front of the doors to the hold of the Ragnarok,
    listening to the
    battle inside. She had almost ran in there when she heard Squall scream like
    that. Squall had completely lost it, but Laguna was alright- she could hear
    everything.
    How would Squall act now that he had gotten years of emotional
    frustration out
    of the way? Her eyes watered up, and the tears began to fall while she sat
    against the door, her knees drawn to her chest, rocking back and forth ever
    so
    slightly.
    She was moved by what had gone on inside. And she was also a little
    jealous
    that Squall and his dad had reconciled, but she still had no one but Squall.
    Well, she had friends- Selphie, Quistis, Zell, Irvine...but it was a
    different
    kind of something she longed for. As for anything beyond friendship, she had
    only her knight in leather fur-lined armor.
    She sniffled quietly, and listened for more goings-on inside the
    hull, but they
    either weren't speaking, or they were being too quiet to hear. Hopefully,
    Squall
    hadn't comitted patricide *and* made enemies of the continent of Esthar.
    Irvine walked by, his hands in his pockets. Rinoa quickly hid her
    face in her
    knees, and used her hair to hide any remaining evidence of her tears.
    "Rinoa? You cryin'? Something the matter?" He asked, looking down at
    her.
    "No no, I'm fine!" She said, and tried waving him off.
    "What's wrong, Rinoa? Why won't you look at me?"
    "I'm guarding the hold!" She said as cheerily as she could sound,
    "Squall and
    Laguna are having a talk inside."
    "Alright....but remember, if you have a problem, come to Irvine here,
    alright?"
    He said as he patted her head and strode off.
    She sighed in relief. At least it would settle down around here. She
    wiped her
    eyes, and began to hum a song her mother had sung long ago.
    ***********************************************
    End Chapter 4! ;_;
    


End file.
